


Stronger For You

by AsheBlender



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:26:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsheBlender/pseuds/AsheBlender
Summary: Shiho and Ann find their strength through the love they feel for each other.
Relationships: Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Stronger For You

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing either of these characters or just Persona 5 in general. So, I hope it ended up alright! Honestly, these two just deserve to be happy.

Shiho doesn’t remember a lot about that day, unsurprisingly.

The sharpest thing about that day in her memories is looking down from the roof. The things she had been feeling. She remembers that it had made her dizzy, looking past her sneakers and seeing the ground below. Shiho had always been pretty scared of heights in all honesty, something that Ann had teased her about a few times. Usually, it was just feeling a little woozy or nervous if she looked out a window or down a flight of stairs too long. It hadn’t seemed to matter much in that moment. As, her thoughts in that span of seconds had been fragmented and scattered all over her mind. Her expression had changed little as she impassively stared at the ground, tears slowly beginning to leak out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

_It’s so high up._

_You coward._

_It’ll be quick. You won’t feel a thing._

_I’m scared._

_Nobody will stop me._

_Ann will hate you._

_I wonder if this will be enough to kill me._

_I don’t want to die. I don’t!_

Thoughts and words jumbled in her brain. A mess of things all begging to be heard. But, she was numb to it all. Her head was just as tight a prison as her life was. Her hands shake at her sides and her body trembles with the emotions her face won’t show. She’s terrified and hurt and _done_. She’d shuddered violently and clenched her hands into fists.

_Your friend really pisses me off, Suzui. I think you ought to take responsibility for that._

She’d gasped and her body shook all the more violently, hot tears spilling fully down her cheeks. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t spend one more day knowing that she had nowhere else to go. There was nothing anybody could or would do to help her. Nothing at all. She would keep living this hell until she broke. Forced to watch as her life’s passion was destroyed and twisted. Forced to endure punishment after punishment. Forced to have his vile hands grabbing at her and _taking_. The only way to escape was to… She’d gulped thickly and closed her eyes.

_Ann, I’m so sorry-_

And, she’d fallen. She really doesn’t remember anything that happened after that. With her eyes closed, she hadn’t seen the ground screaming toward her. She’d felt a rush of wind around her body, the unnatural feeling of falling such a height briefly making her stomach drop with something low and sick. When she hit the ground, there was a hot flash of pain all over her body. Then, there was nothing. It had happened so fast that there was barely another thought that entered her mind. One moment, she was conscious, the next she wasn’t. She’d later found out from Ann that she had been in a short, delirious state after the impact. Shiho had weakly, tearfully whispered what had happened to her past a mouth dripping with blood and broken teeth, her words slurred and slow. Then, she’d passed out and fallen into a coma.

Coming to hadn’t been a fun experience in the slightest. Everything had hurt so much. Her legs were both broken, one worse off from having taken the brunt of her body weight. The arm that had hit the ground had it’s wrist smashed. The less said about her face, the better. So, she had woken to her arm in a cast and one leg up in a sling. Her head had ached like someone was driving nails through it. When her tongue, feeling fat and slow, had made a pass through her mouth, she definitely noted that she was missing teeth. One side of her face was covered in an assortment of gauze along her jaw. A doctor had come in and droned to her parents about her injuries, but she’d been mostly groggy or otherwise unresponsive. He’d thrown around words like ‘compound fracture’ and ‘traumatic brain injury’ while her parents worriedly and tearfully listened on. That day had started pretty rough and exhausting.

In the end, she was still trapped. She had just traded classroom halls and sickening leers for bleak, white walls and beeping machines.

She hadn’t really felt much or emoted… until her mother had turned to her with a smile. It was pained, but hopeful. She didn’t know why her baby girl had done this. It wasn’t that her parents were stupid, either. Shiho had just always been good at hiding the bruises before that day, at keeping what she was going through inside and locked away. All her mother seemed to understand in that moment was that her little girl was alive and in a great deal of pain. That she needed something to hold onto. “Shiho, I… called your friend, Ann. She seemed like she wanted to see you. Would you… like that?”

The dread that had dropped into her stomach had made her wince, her expression changing for the first time that day. She didn’t want Ann to see her like this. To have her look upon the proof that she tried to take the coward’s way out. That she had tried to leave Ann behind in a world that constantly judged her for her looks. She would have left her best friend, the girl she loves more than anything, behind to deal with whatever came next. All because she wasn’t strong enough to keep going. But, she knew she had to face the consequences of her actions. She’d survived. And, Ann had a right to tell her how much she hated her for what she’d done. Her body trembled once more, but she had thickly swallowed her fear. “Yes, I… She... can come.” She mumbled, hating how slurred her voice sounds filtered through missing teeth and sluggish mind.

She’d dreaded the meeting the entire afternoon.

Shiho hadn’t known what to expect when Ann finally walked into the hospital room. When she did, the blonde had practically burst inside. It had scared the shit out of her, made her jump in her hospital bed. Her best friend’s eyes had looked wildly toward her, disbelieving and wide. There was silence. Ann was quiet and stared at her through eyes brimming with tears. Shiho waited with bated breath and expected the worst. Until Ann’s face drifted up into the most happy and relieved smile she’s ever seen. “You look like shit.” The girl sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

_I’m not going to lie, Takamaki-san, that painting looks like terrible._

Shiho had stared at her, blinked a few times, then proceeded to laugh the hardest she’d laughed in ages. Her body didn’t like it. Her ribs and various other injuries protested this severely. The smile made her jaw hurt like crazy the wider it got. But, honestly, she didn’t care in the slightest. How could she have ever thought her best friend would hate her? Ann. Her affectionate, loving, goof of a friend. She laughs until tears are bubbling in her eyes and she’s red in the face. Ann had slipped in closer, unable to help joining in the laughter. For just that moment, it was like they were back in time. Back to where they had both been happy and empty of the fears and worries that had clogged up their minds so often in recent times. Shiho found her laughs turning into little, hiccuping giggles as they taper off. “Your... bedside manner is awful.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I’m not a nurse, then.”

Everything hadn’t stayed quite as happy as that moment after. It was more… emotional. They’d had a very long discussion full of tearful apologies and revelations. Neither of them resented the other for what they did. Everything was still a bit tender, but both were mostly just… relieved to have the other there with them right then. Shiho could only talk a little bit, long conversations taking an enormous effort on the part of her fatigued brain. So, she mostly listened after saying what she’d needed to say. Ann had given Shiho a bit of a rundown on what happened while she was in a coma. Apparently, ‘he’ (Ann had bitterly refused to say his name and she couldn’t say she wasn’t glad about that) had confessed to all of his crimes in front of the whole school. This was, apparently, days after this strange group had left him a calling card all over the school telling him they were going to ‘steal his heart’. To hear Ann tell it made it sound like some sort of strange, fantasy novel. A gang of criminals who stole the desires of the evil.

He’d been apprehended by the police very quickly after and taken in for questioning. The school was all abuzz. His reputation was completely, publicly ruined. He would never be able to go back to the career he’d had. He was staring down the barrel of a lengthy prison sentence, countless fines, sex offender registry, utter ruin. With the overwhelming evidence churned up in the subsequent investigation and a straight confession right from his own lips, not even the school could cover it up now.

It didn’t really… change anything, that. Not for her. It wouldn’t take back what had happened. But, she felt at peace knowing that no other person was going to be put through what she’d suffered. Not anymore. Never again.

Ann had smiled through her own tears when she’d heard Shiho voice this, placing a hand on the fingers poking through her cast. They couldn’t hold hands like they used to, so this was the closest they could get. The blonde had seemed to be on the verge of saying something else as she did so, worrying her lip with her teeth. She’d been silent for a few moments, as if rearranging thoughts in her head. She’d turned her head to look right at her with that dazzling smile of hers.

_You’re so strong, Shiho._

She’s not sure she believed her when she said that. She didn’t feel particularly strong. Laying in the bed on the evening of waking up from a coma, she couldn’t have felt more weak and small. But, the admiration in her voice had made her heart beat fast against her chest. It made her cheeks flush and her limbs tingle. She wanted Ann to keep saying that about her. The girl who meant the most to her in the world. It made her believe, even just in that moment, that maybe she could be. Made her want to be worthy of those words.

And, that meant she couldn’t give up. Couldn’t run away. The only difference was now… she had no desire to. She’d do her best to be strong. For Ann. For herself.

* * *

Today has been good for Shiho. She didn’t have any nightmares last night. Despite the slightly uncomfortable hospital bed, she’d slept rather well. Sure, she was a little stiff, but getting any restful sleep at all some nights was the most refreshing thing she could experience. The frequent headaches she had been getting for weeks were seeming to taper off. Her mother had brought her phone to her yesterday. As, her arms were on the path of healing. Both were still sluggish and shaky, still lacked the high range of motor function they used to have. She was still learning to use her hands again. But, she had been able to actually text Ann back and forth during her breaks at school. Even if the process of doing so was slow and frustrating. That had really lifted her spirits from the dull, boring days she usually had. What was even better was that Ann was going to be coming to the hospital. Granted, she did that a lot, anyway, but it was always something to bring a needed wave of happiness through her. She was particularly excited to show her best friend both results of her most recent surgery.

So, when Ann slips into her hospital room late that afternoon, Shiho has a big, closed smile on her face. The blonde grins right back at her. She always got this happy look when she saw Shiho nowadays. A look of happiness and relief. Of elation that Shiho was still there the next day. It only made the girl feel all the more happy and tingly. She doesn’t know how she ever thought that Ann wouldn’t be there for her.

“Well, someone looks like they’re in a good mood today!” Ann hums as she walks up next to Shiho’s bed and takes a seat. Automatically, almost instinctively, her hand slips up to hold onto Shiho’s hand. Their fingers carefully lace together and she feels a delightful calm wash over her. “How’s my favorite girl doing?”

“You tell me.” Shiho responds, squeezing Ann’s hand as best she can. Her grip still wasn’t great. She shoots Ann a grin nearly as big as the one Ann had sent her when she arrived.

Ann gasps, putting her free hand to her mouth. “Shiho, your teeth!”

She can’t help the giggle and nod that comes from her, dark hair bouncing up and down with her head. Her cheeks flush with happiness. She loves being able to share this with Ann in particular, who knows just how… uncomfortable she’s felt about speaking in general. “Yeah. They finally got me in for some replacements. I was only able to look at them fully a day or two ago. It’s kinda silly, but… being able to smile and not see all those gaps makes me feel a lot better. It doesn’t feel so weird to smile. Maybe I can actually hold a conversation now.”

Ann squeezes her hand right back. “I’m so glad for you.”

Then, she perks up a bit more. She looks just as excited, bouncing a bit in her seat. She starts rummaging through her bag with one hand, the other refusing to let go of Shiho’s. It’s kind of impressive, really. She’s glad for that in all honesty. As, having Ann there to hold her has gotten her through some of her tougher experiences already. “Oh! Maybe we can celebrate that! I know you said that hospital food sucked, so I got you some good stuff to eat!”

“Lemmie guess. Sweets?”

Ann blushes a bit, biting her lip. “...maybe...”

She laughs again, squeezing the blonde’s hand once more. “I figured. Sometimes, I don’t think you eat anything _but_ sweets, Ann.”

“Sh-Shush! Do you want them or not?”

She giggles quietly and delights in how red Ann’s face has gotten. “What did you get?”

The blonde takes a breath and lifts out a clear, plastic to-go container with two crepes inside. What’s better is that they’re full of strawberries and cream. Just the kind she and Ann used to go out for all the time. She finds herself slowly licking her lips as it’s presented to her. She’d forgotten how much she missed them, to be honest. To think how many of their little crepe dates she’s missed in the time she’s been in the hospital... Or, hell, in the last _year_.

“Strawberry crepes! I, um. Made sure yours had more cream. I didn’t know if it’d be harder to chew with more strawberries or- Um. I didn’t think about your- You can have my strawberries if you wanted more than-” The girl rambles, her face starting to turn redder and redder. It’s honestly the cutest thing she’s ever seen. The fact that she goes through so much effort on her behalf… It brings that familiar fluttering in her chest to the forefront of her thoughts once more.

She gives Ann a small, soft smile. “Ann, it’s fine. I love it.”

“Oh. Heh. G-Good!” The blonde replies, the nod she gives in response making her pigtails bounce. She fumbles with the container a bit as she sets it down in her lap. It’s made a lot more difficult by the fact that she’s doing it one-handed and refuses to let go of Shiho’s hand. There’s a comical moment where the girl looks between both her hands as if to figure out how she can maneuver in a way she can do both. As admirable as it was that Ann didn’t want to let her go, this was going to take a lot longer with one hand. And, if she was being honest, just looking at those crepes is making her hungry.

“You can let go of my hand, Ann, it’s okay.” She says with a small laugh.

“R-Right.”

Even after she says this, it still takes her a few moments to actually let go. And, even when she does, it’s with a quiet breath to herself. The brief expression on her face is almost one of worry. Like, if she let go, Shiho might drift away from her. It makes her wince a little bit. The worst part of all of this, for her, was that she had caused Ann such pain and worry. She could heal her broken body and work through her own mental issues. But, she couldn’t change that she had hurt the one she loved.

She bites her lip a little bit. She doesn’t want to apologize again. They’re both so sick of having that conversation. They know how sorry they both feel, despite knowing that they shouldn’t. She wants to create new memories, not dwell on old things. “Hey, Ann?”

“Mm?”

“Do you think you could help me eat? I’m... not sure if I’ll be able to hold the whole thing with my grip the way it is.”

“Oh! Yeah, of course!” Ann replies with a returning smile, popping open the container. She’d had the good planning to bring along a pair of plastic forks just in case. Some days, Shiho could attempt to eat herself, but other times she needed a little bit of help to actually hold utensils and the like. She can’t help but smile at the excited look on Ann’s face. Whether it’s because she can help or whether it’s because they’re doing something they always enjoyed doing, she’s not sure. But, it always feels better when Ann is smiling about it. She watches the blonde carefully cut off a section with a healthy amount of cream in it. She leans right in to present it to Shiho with that lovely smile of hers. A kind one that’s offered with all the care she has.

Shiho doesn’t take the bite at first, too transfixed with the serene smile on her best friend’s face. Similar to when she’d watched Ann’s face turn red in embarrassment earlier, she feels her heart thudding against her chest rather quickly. It’s not like this is the first time she’s done this. Even when she wasn’t in the hospital, Ann would always be offering her bites of the seemingly endless amounts of sweets she would go through. What made this any different? She’s not really sure.

Was it tragedy that acquainted to this? Was it the fact that Ann was, more or less, the only one to visit her? Was it… that Ann had been so clearly affected by the thought of never seeing her again? Or, maybe, it was that this experience had forced Shiho to realize what she would have missed if she had succeeded. She finds herself struck by the thought that she could have never seen Ann smile again. Or, seen her curl a finger around the ends of her pigtails when she’s bored or nervous. Or, purse her lips in a cute pout when she’s getting teased. She would have never been able to tell her how much she cares for her ever again.

How much she…

Her face starts to slowly heat up. Enough that Ann is soon casting her a worried look. It must be a little concerning that her face was turning _very_ red and she wasn’t saying anything. “...Shiho? Are you okay?”

She nods quickly. “I-I’m fine. I just, ah…”

She trails off when she doesn’t really know what to say or how to explain what she’s feeling right now. How, exactly, do you explain that you’d just realized you’d fallen in love with your best friend from her feeding you crepes? She has no idea. All she does know is that she’s going to melt with embarrassment if she doesn’t do _something_. Ann is watching with bated breath, seemingly unsure of what’s wrong. Eyes filled with worry, questions and embarrassment.

_Are you okay?_

_Is this too much?_

_What can I do to help?_

Not wanting to worry the girl any further, she leans quickly forward and takes the whole piece in one bite. Much to both their surprises. She mostly manages to do it all in one go, though the quickness of the motion smears a bit of cream up along her upper lip. She chews carefully and finds herself _really_ enjoying something that doesn’t taste like the bland hospital food she’s been having for quite a while. She’ll admit that it tastes a hell of a lot sweeter when she gets to watch Ann’s face change from surprised to happy.

“Wow, you really wanted that, huh?” Ann snorts, barely concealing the laugh bubbling up in her throat.

“Mhmmm.” She mumbles through a mouthful of crepe. The strawberries aren’t particularly plentiful, as Ann had mentioned, but she can still taste the flavor of them in the cream. She sighs pleasantly as she swallows it down, laying back in her bed with a smile. Her face has cooled down a bit. “That is _so_ good.”

“I’m glad you liked it! How about another bite- Oh, wait, you’ve got a little...”

She suddenly finds Ann leaning right over her bed and right up close to her. Her brown eyes flick up to watch Ann’s concentrated gaze slip down to her lips. She flushes again, hotter this time. Her eyes are wide and surprised. She’s focused on her best friend’s very, _very_ pretty face as it takes up most of her vision. What was happening right now? _What was happening right now?_

There’s a sharp intake of breath from her as Ann’s thumb comes up, gently brushing over her top lip to… get the cream that had smeared along it from her bite. Oh. Right. She swallows thickly as the girl doesn’t hesitate to just slip her thumb to her mouth and lick the cream off quickly. Shiho finds her face, somehow, turning redder. “A-Ann?”

Ann’s face goes from kind and satisfied at catching that to just as wide-eyed and surprised as Shiho is. As if she’s just realized how close they are. Or, what she just did. Or, maybe both. She watches as red slowly begins to feel Ann’s cheeks. Both of them are completely frozen and unsure what to say. The blonde seems to recover first, her words stumbling out of her lips in a bit of a mess. Shiho is sure she can almost feel the desperate puffs of her breath brush against her skin. Brown eyes meet clear blue directly. This just makes Ann all the more flustered. “I- You had, um… cream on your lip and-and I didn’t know if you- I’m sorry, Shiho, I should have just let you-”

She’s sure that Ann would have rambled on for another minute or so. She wouldn’t have been surprised. When the blonde got nervous, it was quite the common occurrence for her to do this. A way of filling the air with words instead of awkward silence. But, Ann wasn’t really able to do so. In fact, she found herself rather distracted after that last word.

Because Shiho had leaned right up to press a kiss to her lips.


End file.
